My Affair with Starbucks (277)

It has been ongoing now for maybe 5 years. I just love the stuff and always buy it on sale at my local grocery store. Usually grind my own Starbucks beans and then brew up my passion each and every morning.

But for a very special treat the last year or so I see on the Starbucks bag that I could take it into one of those really cool Starbucks outlets and get a free "tall one", for just taking the bag in. So about a year ago I started putting those bags into my storage area in the door of my Silverado, just in case I get the impulse to pay a visit to a Starbucks real honest to goodness store....

I always buy something when I get my free coffee so as not to appear to be a cheapo-spoungebob when I cash in my empty bag. Today I had an outrageous Oatmeal cookie with my tall Pike's Roast coffee. It cost me $1.61, but I figured it a small price to pay to be able to be in the company of such upscale people as those that habitat Starbucks. Even the help in the store appear so totally "chic", meaning stylish or very smart of course.

I usually don't go in there unless I have on some decent clothes, never in my old work duds or when my hair is not lying down properly. I notice the cars in the lot are usually upscale Honda's or Toyota's maybe a Mercedes or Saab now and then. But usually the only Chevy truck out there is mine... So I like just kind of hanging out there and watching the families get out of those cars and stroll into the place and hear what they order. The families are always just the right size too like a boy and girl or two of one and one of the other...never a car load like you see at McDonalds or Burger Bob's....

They order really cool stuff like Caramel Brulee's, which by the way come in Tall, Grande or Venti, or maybe a Caffe Laite or Caffe Mocha. Someday I may just throw caution to the wind and order one of those. Maybe when sweet pea is with me and I am not carrying an empty coffee bean bag. Maybe I will try a Caffe Americano, that surely would be good and maybe go for a Cranberry Bliss bar that I have admired now and then in the show case. And for Susan maybe I will suggest a Vivanno Smoothie or a Caramel Machiato, yes I bet she would like either of those.

And maybe I will take my laptop in with us and a newspaper and mold into the crowd that is doing those things also while enjoying the special treats that only Starbucks can provide. I do like to watch some of them on the computers as they probably are making huge stock trades of IBM,DELL or maybe even Starbucks in their E-Trade accounts. Netting them huge profits to maybe even take a few Cranberry Bliss bars with them for the road as they load their little families back into the car and head on out to wonderful places they are no doubt in route too....

Well back to the real world of Jack working on a nice ladies kitchen floor and wishing you all a very Happy New Year tonight...Drive careful and if you get "overserved", maybe stop by a Starbucks...tellem Jack sent ya...

The Tree is down and New Years comin...(276)

Sweet Pea and me took down her tree last night. It is lying in the back yard waiting on its next phase which will probably be cremation. My tree is still up but it will probably come down in a day or so. I had a real good Christmas as per usual, got lots of nice things from my kids and Susan. Lots of nice clothes, a new printer, office chair, starbucks coffee and bean grinder, lots of gift cards to my favorite restaurants and a magnificent kiss under the misletoe. Add all that up and it was yes another very successful Christmas. I did do some equal giving though which is really the best part of it all, not wanting you to think I forgot that..Did my usual for the kids and grandkids. Got SP a "going steady" ring for her right finger with chocolate diamonds in it. Some white and yellow gold ear rings, luggage for our in style traveling we may do someday, and some surprises...everyone gets some surprises, they sometimes get re-gifted but sometimes they are very useful too...And did my giving to my favorite missionarys and churches with funds that I applied with grain during harvest to my Jacks Giving Fund....That works so slick and increases my amount of giving by avoiding taxes on that amount of money. I will put a link to that site here if you are interested in doing something similar by clicking on the title above of this post.

But next year we hope to have a change up maybe and instead of all this gifting each other maybe take a trip somewhere...that might be fun, but who knows by the time it rolls around again we may just do the same stuff we all do each year.

Well New Years will soon be here. Wow 2010 sure was quick it seems to me like just last month or so it all happened. I swear time does speed up as we age and that means the finish line is ahead out there somewhere. Well I remember my mom always telling me to put on clean underwear every day cause you never know when you may have to go to the hospital she would say. And so that fear of getting caught with dirty underwear stays with us and even gets more important as our odds rise of it happening as each year passes now so quickly.

I want to wish you all the Happiest of New Years coming up this friday evening. I guess we are headed to Chalmers for a party with some old friends. Maybe its Brookston, its one of the two, they are like Dayton and Mulberry just a few corn fields between leaving one and getting to the other. Anyway it will be fun and I guess if 2011 has to get here well bring it on, let get it started...sure it will have it good times and some trials along the way but it will all be life as we find it each day...Well I have a tile floor to lay today at a nice lady's house so I better get crackin....Happy New Year...

Merry Christmas to All (275)

My Christmas Card to all...Could not wait to send it. Isn't she gorgeous? Three years ago last October I met her in a grieving class provided by Hospice for those who had suffered a loss of a spouse. We both had. She was shy as was I...Took me several weeks to approach her first with an email..which came back because her address uses a l(L) that I thought was a 1(one) instead... How was I to know that, so that was a bummer have it bounce back after taking several weeks to think of something to say to her.
But me being the rocket scientist that I am, I just printed off the email and mailed it to her home explaining what had happened...Took two weeks to hear from her but she finally did respond by email, not excitingly at all just saying maybe we could be email friends. By that time I had taken my motor home south to Naples Florida, but I have to tell you it was just a wee bit exciting hearing from her.

I flew home for Christmas for a week, emailing her that I would be home for maybe 5 days and maybe just maybe. She finally emailed back that her Christmas was just too busy to do anything to get together at all. A couple days before I was to return I decided that I needed to at least drop her off a gift so she would know I for sure really did want to get to know her a little better. So finally got up nerve to try and see her. Figured I only had maybe one shot at this so I decided maybe a nice gift bag with flowers, candy and maybe a book would be a good ice breaker. Purchased some nice chocolates, Williams Flowers on south 18th Street made me a special arrangement and for a book I figured maybe a copy of the book I had helped author with 11 other short story writers, titled "Is this the way it happened? I think So".
So there I had it, my three super gifts in hand, I got driving instructions off the internet, and set out about 5ish maybe to make by bold last ditch effort.

Well her son answered the door and said she is not here...I must have looked disappointed, as when I asked when would be a good time to maybe come back, he said," well you could just go by the nursing home where she works if you want to....So I did, and there she was at the desk when I came in, and this guy was about as nervous as one could get.
So I said "hi, I know you have told me you were too busy during these holidays to get together, but I did just want to bring you these things and maybe if you read my stories in this book, you will get to know me better and next spring when I come home, well maybe then"...

We chatted just a bit, she fielded some phone calls, I busied myself looking at the birds in the cage, made one more attempt at converstation, and then I was out of there. A couple weeks went by and then an email came that she had read my stories and she said, "your good"....That started a somewhat exciting email exchange that winter...Spring came and we did finally have that first date.

I am a lucky man, her good looks are only equaled by her caring, generous, and loving characteristics. Not sure how it will all wind up but we are as facebook calls it "in a relationship", and it is a great one. We both still miss our mates we lost deeply, but also growing in a relationship that has made life once again not just bearable, but exciting...

So I can wish you all now a Very Merry Christmas and also wish all of you a very healthy and prosperous New Year ahead....And think of all the money I have saved on postage here....It's beginning to look and feel like Christmas..........

My Little Christmas Tree (274)

I like my little tree. I got it at the Making Memories Tree Farm on 600 South near where I live. As you see it's only about maybe 4 feet tall, and I got it for 20 bucks, cut down and loaded into the back of my pickup truck. It was a really cold night and while this was happening I was across the street in my daughter Sharla's house drinking coffee with she and her husband Jeffrey. I used to own the property where it is located. The owner of the tree farm looked at the 2 acre parcel and said I only need one acre for my home, well and septic, what would I ever do with the whole extra acre? I gave it about a 30 second consideration and said, "you know you could make a lot of money and have fun growing and selling Christmas trees here".

And he does, every year now my daughter buys her tree there and this year I started to do the same. Have to talk him into selling such a small one though. He becomes quite attached to the little trees caring for them for 4 or 5 years and just don't like wacking them down until he feels they are at their peak. I heard last year he totally refused to sell some people small trees...Well that's up to him but if it were me and the price was right I'd not hesitate at all...But that's life, guess I was lucky. Probably did not have the heart to refuse the guy who put him onto the business maybe. Last year I just cut a red cedar out of a fence row that was kind of about this size. It cost me nothing of course, but they are not as nice a these short needled pine trees he has. But on the other hand, thinking back it is hard to beat the smell, the aroma from a fresh red cedar tree in the home. Especially if you can find one that has those little blue berry like things hanging on it. I remember many as I was growing up the only trees we ever had were these red cedar trees and when they are trimmed out and decorated with the lights turned on and the house lights out, wow, it just don't get any better.....

I used to set and look at those trees the nights before Christmas for hours on end. Walk over near them and smell the aroma from those little blue seeds, it just all smelled like Christmas to me...So like I say last year I was content as could be to just drag in the little cedar as messy as they are and string on some lights and bulbs and bingo the magic was back....

One thing I like about a small tree is it only takes one small string of lights and a few bulbs, last years candy cane's and your in business. Susan Claus helped me last year and this year attach these items to the tree... It is a lot more fun with two doing it than just one, not sure why, but it sure is....Merry Christmas.....

Christmas the Opportunity (273)

Well it is about 2 weeks till Christmas 2010. I have good and bad memories of Christmas past. Most of them good, the bad ones I really try and block out, but the older I get I really am starting to look at Christmas each year as an Opportunity. And I think a lot of people also look at it that way. An opportunity to reach out to others, family and friends; and even strangers, and try and make their lives a little better even if for just a minute or two. Christ of course set the example for us and of course His gift of belief of eternal life could never be duplicated or equaled but it is the example of how we can in small ways renew this happening of over two thousand years ago. It is funny as about October as the time nears I sometimes do not welcome it at all, wishing almost I could just fast forward into the new year and just skip it this year. But then, I finally get the spirit as I listen to the music of the season and it finally soaks into me that it is good. And that even though one may have blown it a few times it keeps coming back each year and the opportunity to embrace it and enjoy the season is here with us again.

For some of us, we may need an excuse to show love and kindness to others and it does offer that, the opportunity knocks each and ever year for us all. Yesterday was the get together for my family. Some could not make it because of the weather here in the midwest. The best part is just cooking up a nice meal to be enjoyed by all. Some special dishes, a glass of special wine, candies, like some bourbon balls we made that turned out really good. And then people showing up and greeting them with a Merry Christmas. Knowing we are carrying on a tradition that has been around for a long time and will be around for centuries to come. Gifts are exchanged and its the thought that counts no matter what the gift. I like small, thoughtful things just as much as other larger things. Larger things usually have to be put together and instructions read....So simple is good with me..I usually find a bargain or two that I snap up that I figure someone will like, but money is my old standby when it gets down to it. I figure everyone likes to give gifts and money sure helps them do just that so I know it is appreciated and utilized probably this Christmas season...

Also donation to missionaries, churches, Salvation Army, Red Cross and many others help with my getting into the Christmas Spirit of things each year. Giving is more fun than receiving, but receiving is part of it for sure..but the giving is the part that makes you feel a part of Christmas and how you think it maybe should be...
I wish each and every one a Merry Christmas this year, hoping it is a good one and that Christmas seasons to follow will be as good and maybe even better....It should work that way as we practice it each year, year in and year out....

Hey I think I am done.....(272)

For the most part, I think my home is finally complete of the remodel job that was started almost two years ago..at least the planning phase of it and then the work actually in the spring of 2009. Yep, the fireplace mantel got installed a couple nights back. It took my son in law Jeff and his son in law Ryan and myself in the middle to lift it to its permanent, (I hope) spot on the fireplace. It was really heavy, I'd guess way over 200 pounds for sure. Jeff and I thought we could handle it, and carried it from the barn to the house. But then the height of it's resting spot was just more than we could muster so we had to bring in the young and strong to help us out. It has now been bolted down into the brick so that it poses no major threat of falling and injuring someone, maybe me....And then to the left here with the help of sweet pea's touch, we have the finished product. Stockings for Susan and I and Buddy who is looking forward to lots of treats in his stocking. Hobby Lobby just has lots of good stuff that made the mantel finally in place and complete....

The remodel job with removing walls, doorways, a window, enclosing the back porch, where the fireplace is now located took lots of time and effort...Some of it mine, some Susan's and mostly Randy Denham and company. Some hardwood floors by Randy, and the ceramic floors by me, painting my sweet pea and me, kitchen redo with granite tops, its been a long project but a fulfilling and satisfying one..Susan adding ideas and efforts along the way that has made a house a home...It has been fun, but glad to report this day that it is finally done...